The pain Simon Gerrans endured to win the Tour Down Under for a record fourth time was a world away from how he felt this time last year when he had to miss the World Tour opener due to a broken collarbone.

Simon Gerrans will start the final stage of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide virtually assured of a record fourth overall victory, after surviving a last-ditch assault on his lead on Saturday by Richie Porte, who created his own piece of history by becoming the first rider to win the stage to Willunga Hill three times – let alone a hat-trick.

The decision by the teams of Tour de France champion Chris Froome and world champion Peter Sagan to miss the Tour Down Under for smaller races was "odd" and "not helpful" respectively, said Union Cycliste International president Brian Cookson.

The plan to somehow snatch the overall lead in the Tour Down Under from Simon Gerrans sounds simple, but it will be far harder to pull off after the former three-times winner extended his time margin on Friday.